Apollo 11 flown checklist rockets to $55,000 at Heritage Auctions

With handwritten notes by Neil Armstrong, the Apollo 11-flown checklist was the sale's most desirable lot

A checklist that was flown to the surface of the Moon aboard the historic Apollo 11 has sold as top lot in Heritage Auctions' April 18 Space Exploration Signature Auction in Dallas.

The checklist's value is boosted by Neil Armstrong's notes

The LM Activation Checklist page was consigned from the Steve R Belasco Collection of Space Memorabilia, and signed by Buzz Aldrin. Sporting handwritten notes from the first man on the Moon, Neil Armstrong,it sold for $55,268.

The entire checklist was carried to the surface of the Moon in Lunar Module Eagle. The lot contained pages 62 and 63 of the complete book, with one listing the steps for undocking with the Command Module Columbia prior to lunar landing, while the second detailed Buzz Aldrin's procedure to mount a 16mm camera to the window of the lunar module.

Increasing its appeal to collectors, one of these pages displays the values "V48 21102 PROV34E Go to Descent" handwritten by Armstrong. It sold complete with a letter of authenticity from Aldrin.

Also selling well was an Apollo 11 flown envelope signed by all members of the crew, which originates from the personal collection of Buzz Aldrin. It sold for $50,787, as one of 214 space flown "covers" signed and owned by the crew, which are among the most collectible artefacts from the historic mission.

The toy came with fantastic provenance, having been found in Armstrong's childhood home

The most charming lot of the sale, however, was Armstrong's childhood toy plane, which sold for $10,755 with fantastic provenance. It was discovered in his family home after the housewas sold to friends. It was confirmed as belonging to Neil by his mother.

As demonstratedby the auction, signed memorabilia from the Apollo 11 mission is highly valued among space collectors. We have a fantastic set of signed photographs from every Moonwalker, including the Apollo 11 crew and every astronaut to follow in their footsteps - an exceedingly rare opportunity that charts man's adventures in space.